Seriously, is there anything more fun than a day out with your girlfriends? It always makes me feel like a fancy free teenager which I love. Last Thursday we kicked off September 1st with a trip to Waterton for paddle boarding and hiking. I sprang out bed singing “Girls day! Girls day!” Ha ha.

BEARS

I saw more bears on this one day than I have in the last couple years combined in Waterton! We were pulling out of town toward Red Rock Parkway and all the cars were stopped outside Emerald Bay. We watched a mama bear and her cub walk up from the beach and cross the road two cars ahead of us.

Baby

Mama

One thing that annoyed the hell out of me was that the car ahead of us had the mother and her two kids out on the road taking photos and they didn’t get in the car until they were a couple feet away from the mama bear. DUH PEOPLE!!!

We also saw a big old mama and her two cubs on the side of a mountain on the way back from Crandell campground.

CRANDELL LAKE

We were tying to pick a short hike since we wanted to fit in lunch and paddle boarding so I suggested we hit up Crandell Lake through the Crandell campground. Jenna was super nervous about going because we didn’t have bear spray with us and the signs talking about the bear danger really freaked her out.

It wasn’t until we passed several groups that she felt more at ease. Ha ha!

It’s only 2 km from the campground to the lake and we were there before we knew it.

Crandell Lake is such a pretty spot and the weather was nice so we of course had to stop for a few photos.

Jenna also noticed the tadpoles in the shallow end who were almost fully formed frogs with their teeny tiny legs but long tails.

Kelsey looking at tadpoles

After playing with the tadpoles Jenna and I climbed around on a nearby rock area. I felt like a kid again and it was so much fun!

After the hike we hit Zum’s for lunch to enjoy lunch and drinks on the patio. Do you know what’s not so great about dining on the patio? The damn wasps! But I enjoyed a double bacon burger on gluten free bread which was awesome. We also had the great idea to snag a bottle of champagne for paddle boarding.

PADDLE BOARDING

Being a member of Blakiston & Company’s A-team (I’ll have to write about that later) has it’s perks! Such as being able to rent boards on a day when the rental company is closed! I should have called ahead to book our rentals but thankfully as a member, I get perks!

We headed out on Emerald Bay to do Phase 1 of our day. Being the planner I am I planned our paddle board adventures in phases based on time and how the girls were doing (Rachelle had never been before). Phase 1 was paddling in the bay, Phase 2 was paddling along the cliffs in Middle Waterton Lake, Phase 3 was paddling to Wishbone boat launch and hiking to Loon Lake.

The day started off choppy and Rachelle had a rocky start as a newbie and Kelsey was dealing with a strained quad which made balancing on choppy water difficult. But Rachelle stood up, wind and choppy water! Jenna has been boarding before so she was paddling around no problem.

Rachelle

Kelsey

Jenna

Me

We stopped for a champagne break on the shoreline and at one point watched three deer sprint toward us and stop short when they saw us and our boards lined up along the shore.

Love the yellow leaves trailing behind my board

After champagne, feeling pleasantly buzzy we went back out and the wind died down and the water calmed right down. We headed for a little cove near the docks where the water was ankle deep and super still.

Then Jenna and I played around with SUP yoga.

My personal favourite moment was when I lost my balance in crow and conked my head on the front of the board soaking my face and head in the cold water. Ha ha!

Right before I fell on my face- Ha ha!

The girls all agreed it was an incredible day and we’re already planning a fall excursion.

Hello and welcome to Better LIVIN! I’m Rachel, a 34 year old mama and substitute teacher in Southern Alberta, Canada. This blog is about hiking and other outdoor adventures, fitness, healthy living, and life in general. See my About page for more info!

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